He said the half-billion-dollar price tag covered the plant's construction and its linkage to the electricity network.

The venture is being set up by Delmon Power Co. and the Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Co. (CCC) with foreign participation in "conception, management and commercialisation", said Aini.

The meeting with Delma was due to take place in Yemen but the venue was switched to Greece following a travel warning issued by the US State Department after the October 12 bomb attack on the USS Cole in Aden.

The negotiations are expected to focus on a power purchase agreement, implementation of the project, fuel supply and property, according to the Middle East Economic Digest.